Best Car Accident Lawyers in Chesterfield, MO

Estate planning is a set of tools and strategies that work together to ensure you can protect your finances while accessing end-of-life care and controlling asset distribution after you pass away. Without proper estate plans, your assets will be distributed by a judge following intestacy laws rather than your personal wishes. This situation can also lead to unnecessary headaches and potential disputes among family members. For these reasons, everyone should have estate plans, regardless of age or financial situation.

An advanced healthcare directive is a set of legal documents that allows you to record your medical wishes and treatment preferences if you are unconscious or mentally incapacitated to speak for yourself and make medical care decisions. It usually contains a living will, a healthcare proxy designation, and it may also contain a power of attorney document. Your living will serves as a written record of your medical care preferences, and your healthcare proxy gives a person of your choice the authority to speak on your behalf and make medical decisions for you while you are incapacitated.

In Missouri, personal injury claims are subject to a legal deadline called a statute of limitations. The statute of limitations sets a hard time limit for a claimant to seek compensation for personal injury-related losses. In Missouri, the statute of limitation for personal injury claims is five years from when the accident occurred or from when the injury was discovered.

If you have been told you are partially responsible for your accident, you may still be able to receive compensation as long as you are not 100% at fault. Missouri follows the pure comparative negligence rule, which means you may still seek compensation even if you have partially contributed to your accident, but the percentage of fault assigned to you ultimately affects how much money you may receive. For example, if you are 30% at fault, your compensation may be reduced by 30%. An attorney can help you minimize your percentage of liability to maximize your compensation.

If you have received a ticket for a traffic violation, you must take action within thirty days of receiving the ticket. Each traffic ticket you plead guilty to may add points to your driving record. Too many points in a given period may mean your license could be suspended. Therefore, you can dispute your ticket by requesting a contested hearing. You should also consider reaching out to a traffic ticket attorney. Be prepared to present any evidence that supports your case, such as witness statements, photographs, or other documents that show that you were not at fault for the traffic violation.